The Master in Robotics and Advanced Construction (MRAC) seeks to train a new generation of interdisciplinary professionals who are capable of facing our growing need for a more sustainable and optimised construction ecosystem. The Master is focused on the emerging design and market opportunities arising from novel robotic and advanced manufacturing systems.
Through a mixture of seminars, workshops, and studio projects, the master programme challenges the traditional processes in the Construction Sector. It investigates how advances in robotics and digital fabrication tools change the way we build and develop processes and design tools for such new production methods.
The lecture was conducted by Valentino Tagliaboschi, architect and building engineer whose career is situated at the intersection of computational design, digital fabrication, and robotics applied to architecture. Trained at the University of Pisa, his approach to the field is characterized by a methodology based on constant experimentation, iterative prototyping, and the intensive use of … Read more
Rethinking Robotics Through Experience Reflections on a lecture by Madeline Gannon Introduction “Somehow, someway, I have built a career out of misusing technology.” Madeline Gannon has spent over a decade working at the intersection of industrial robotics, art, and human interaction. This text presents a thematic synthesis of her lecture for the MRAC, followed by … Read more
The lecture by Mathilde Marengo, Head of Studio Operations at External References, offered an in-depth overview of how contemporary architectural practice operates at the intersection of computation, fabrication, storytelling, and experiential design. Rather than presenting technology as an isolated tool, Mathilde framed it as an integral part of design thinking. Digital tools, parametric workflows, and … Read more
Mark Burry describes his professional identity as transcending the traditional boundaries of an architect, acting equally as an activist and a researcher. Early in his career, he sought out remote environments, moving to the Western Isles of Scotland. There, he designed fundamental community facilities, such as a waiting room for a ferry at Eriskay, and … Read more
Oriol Carrasco – Anomaly.Build Oriol Carrasco is a PhD architect from Barcelona. He is a senior fabrication expert at IAAC with extensive expertise in composite manufacturing. Oriol currently teaches in MAA and 3DpA programs. He has been co-leading the Design with Nature research line since 2013, teaching now in the metabolic introductory studio. He has … Read more
In her lecture titled Circular Matter, Areti Markopoulou examined the urgent transition from a linear to a circular paradigm within the built environment. She began by outlining the structural problems embedded in today’s construction industry, which relies heavily on resource-intensive, difficult-to-recover materials. As cities continue to expand, this linear “extract–manufacture–use–discard” model has become environmentally unsustainable. Markopoulou … Read more
Evy Slabbinck – D2P – Design to Production How do you build a complex timber structure with zero errors in record time? Evy Slabbinck from Design-to-Production reveals the answer: merging computational precision with material intelligence. In this interview, we explored bending-active design, digital fabrication workflows, and the philosophy behind projects that push timber to new … Read more
The lecture examined the evolution of digital fabrication, open-source hardware, and distributed manufacturing, emphasizing the relationship between technology, culture, and society. Fab Labs were presented as environments that democratize access to production tools, bridging the gap between industrial processes and individual creativity. The discussion traced the historical transformation from centralized industrial systems to decentralized innovation. … Read more
Guest Lecture at IAAC (14 October 2025) – Exploring how La Máquina merges design, robotics, and the human element. During one of our sessions at IAAC, we had the opportunity to meet Aldo Sollazzo, co-founder of La Máquina, Noumena, and Pure.Tech, as well as a former IAAC faculty member in the field of robotic fabrication.Invited through the coordination of … Read more
